Available Options

Occasionally our delivery company damages boats in transit so if you are at all worried than either:

- refuse the delivery and send it back.
- accept the delivery and write "damaged" on the docket.
- make the driver wait while you unwrap and inspect the boat before signing.

Unfortunately, unless you do any of these things it is impossible to claim the damage off the delivery company.

The Zet Raptor creekboat / creek boat

about the most bombproof creekboat in existence

Three people came together to design the new Zet Raptor creekboat – an extreme kayaker, an international slalom paddler and a plastics expert. Each has had their influence in creating a kayak the creekboating community have been waiting a long time for.

These are some of the unique features of the Zet Raptor

Displacement hull with just enough edge

Planing/semi-planing hulls are a complete waste of time on creekboats and hard edges tend to get in the way on slides. The Zet Raptor creek boat has a displacement hull that is stable and easy to roll but has just enough edge to help you carve into tight eddies

Fast hull with a nice amount of rocker

A lot of the faster creekboats are great downhill but don't turn fast enough. The Raptor achieves both which is why it has been winning so many European creekboat races this summer. Take Note: Next time you're with a bunch of mates going down something narrow, if you're in a Raptor, make sure you're at the front.

Variable hull thickness – Zelezny Technology - Zet Kayaks

The Raptor is the only white water kayak ever to have variable thickness plastic. Basically it is thicker in the hull and sides, to take impacts, and thinner on the front and rear decks. The result is you get the strongest kayak for the least weight. The Raptor weights 19kg but is as strong as one weighing 24kg.

303L volume but it feels like about 250L when you sit in it

The Raptor has a lot of volume which is great for keeping you afloat in big, white water but some of that volume has been shifted to the rear. This makes her stable on bouncy water but she can feel a little different to other kayaks at first. The seats are set fully to the rear at the factory, give it a paddle in this position before you move it.

No holes drilled around the cockpit

Why do kayak manufacturers insist on drilling holes around cockpits? Don't they realise all those nuts and bolts eventually work loose and start leaking and that it's a real pain in the a**e tightening them up the whole time? The Zet Raptor has no holes drilled around the cockpit.

Front and rear buoyancy retention pillars

Serious creekers will love the fact that the front and rear buoyancy blocks are retained by a plastic pillar. So they cannot move out of position. The front also gives you somewhere to stick your drink.

Robust seating

We're aware that some other manufacturers' outfitting looks better than ours. But our seat is made from a solid moulded closed cell foam which has the following advantages: It does not have a spongy pad on top - so it's not like sitting in a puddle. It doesn't fall apart. And it keeps your bum warm when you're paddling.

No DVT risk

Do you ever get sore legs after a day's paddling? If you do it is a symptom of restricted blood flow caused by pressure from hard plastic seats (even with padding). The potential health risk is Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). The Raptor's foam seat does not restrict bloowflow to the legs. Paddlers who typically get these leg pains in other boats do not get them in Raptors.

The plastic carries a 4 year warranty

We know the plastic on the Raptor is bomber because when we've tested it on the water against other manufacturers' boats, we notice other peoples' boats get trashed while ours stay solid. But you don't know that and there's no way for us to prove it to you. So Zet Raptors come with a four year warranty against defective plastic in the hull. That doesn't mean you are guaranteed a creekboat that will take unlimited punishment for four years. It means if you get a problem because we made it wrong - we'll repair or replace it.

The outfitting carries a 2 year warranty

The same goes for the outfitting. We know it's tough but you don't. So, for peace of mind, we give our creek boat outfitting a two year warranty.

Free airbags

All Zet Raptors come with their own airbags for use in the rear of the boat.

Raptor Creek Boat Paddling tips

Every new boat takes a bit of getting used to. Here's a few tips from our Team Paddlers on how to get the best out of your new Raptor.

1. Raptors have fairly large rear volume so don't be in a big hurry to move the seat forward. Try paddling her with the seat fully to the rear first.

2. Get her on edge. Raptors have an incredibly forgiving hull. You can get them to virtually 90 degrees on their sides and they still feel stable. But if you want to turn your Raptor fast, lean it over. Use positive body control to engage the front rails and carve the boat quickly into and out of eddies and create quick turns on the water.

3. She works better if you paddle aggressively. Raptors are faster than other creekboats and everything works better if you paddle aggressively.

4. Set up early and read far ahead. This, combined with an aggressive style makes the boat fly over and through everything you throw at her.

Here's a video of Swiss uber-creeker and Zet team paddler Ron Fisher having fun in a Raptor (he's the one in the blue boat).

And here's the legendary Andrassy brothers hitting Norway in style in 2010. Blue and Orange boats are Raptors.

The Bottom Line

The Zet Raptor creekboat is not for everyone.

Most people buying their first creek boat are more likely to be seduced by the much prettier outfitting and finish on boats made by other brands. However the more experienced boater who has discovered the joys (not) of outfitting that falls apart, plastic that shreds and splits and heavy boats on long portages will appreciate everything the Raptor has to offer.